Arizona takes on the Cal Bears on Thursday in its first road-game of the season. Here are some questions that Arizona will answer on Thursday at 2:30pm:
Question 1: Can Arizona exhibit good plate discipline against Cal’s game 1 starter and staff-ace Erik Johnson?
Johnson is a hard-throwing right-hander who will use a deceiving changeup with movement to get opponents to roll over. He will also mix in a hard slider with late break. When Johnson takes the mound Thursday, Arizona’s offense will need to remain patient in order to be successful. If Arizona swings at the first pitch it sees, Johnson’s strengths will be magnified. He has the ability to deceive a hitter’s eye and keep batters off balance by changing speeds. He will try to get UA to swing at pitches out of the zone to induce groundballs and keep the top-ranked Pac-10 offense subdued. If the Wildcats are over-aggressive as opposed to waiting for Johnson to miss his spot, they will play into the strength of Cal’s pitcher and make scoring runs a challenge. The approach that UA takes will be a determining factor of success in the series, especially in game one. In order to get off to a winning start on the road, Arizona’s potent offense will need to take what it can get and capitalize when the chances are there.
Question 2: Can Kurt Heyer pitch on the road with the same effectiveness he has shown at home?
The freshman Heyer will counter Johnson in game one for Arizona. Heyer’s record is 4-0 and will go for a fifth win Thursday in Arizona’s road-opener. He is averaging just over a strikeout per inning through 40.1 innings that he has pitched. Heyer ranks third in the Pac-10 with 48ks and will now pitch on the road in Arizona’s first road game of the year. He has answered questions about his ability to pitch at home, going 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA in the month of March in six home starts. April brings a new month and a new challenge for Heyer who will now have to prove that he can pitch as a visitor. Heyer’s biggest strength has been his ability to throw strikes and has only walked six batters in six starts. Heyer has had experience playing in venues more intimidating than Evans Field in Berkeley including Dodger Stadium and Yankee stadium. The experience of pitching in a major league stadium was one that Heyer said every pitcher dreams about. Even though he will be pitching on a new mound, Heyer should be able to handle it just fine. The question is how long will it take him to get used to the mound? If he can get through the first couple of innings smoothly, he should be able to avoid trouble the rest of the way. Heyer has been a horse on the mound and a solid performance on Thursday would give Arizona the confidence it needs to be successful in its first road series against Cal.
Question 3: Will the Wildcats be able to keep the Bears defense on their heels by continuing aggressive running on the base-paths?
Coach Lopez wants his players to stay aggressive like they have been early this season on their way to steal 61 bases out of 78 attempts. Lopez expects his team to take risks on the bases early in games.
“I have a rule with the guys that I want to make the defense frantic,” said Lopez.”I want it to be frantic. I want the defense on their heels thinking, ‘Holy smokes, what they going to do next,’.”
Arizona’s lineup has speed up and down the order, a luxury that allows Lopez to start the runners at will. Earlier this season, Lopez moved center-fielder Joey Rickard into the leadoff spot early in the season, jumpstarting the UA lineup. Arizona stands as the top-offensive team statistically in the Pac-10. Rickard’s spark has Arizona moving around the bases and up the polls. Rickard has been getting on base consistently and has stolen a team-high 12 bases while Bryce Ortega has swiped 10 bags. First-baseman Rafael Valenzuela stolen 8 stolen bases but has also been picked off twice. Lopez acknowledged that aggressiveness on the bases can result in mistakes. Arizona base-runners have been picked off nine times already and will not be successful if the mistakes continue. Base-running will head Arizona’s key to success. Arizona will need to run the bases well if they hope to win the series.
Prediction: Arizona pulls off a victory in their first road-series behind steady offensive production and solid starting pitching.
This post was edited on 4/1 9:16 PM by Scott Russell
This post was edited on 4/1 10:16 PM by Scott Russell
Question 1: Can Arizona exhibit good plate discipline against Cal’s game 1 starter and staff-ace Erik Johnson?
Johnson is a hard-throwing right-hander who will use a deceiving changeup with movement to get opponents to roll over. He will also mix in a hard slider with late break. When Johnson takes the mound Thursday, Arizona’s offense will need to remain patient in order to be successful. If Arizona swings at the first pitch it sees, Johnson’s strengths will be magnified. He has the ability to deceive a hitter’s eye and keep batters off balance by changing speeds. He will try to get UA to swing at pitches out of the zone to induce groundballs and keep the top-ranked Pac-10 offense subdued. If the Wildcats are over-aggressive as opposed to waiting for Johnson to miss his spot, they will play into the strength of Cal’s pitcher and make scoring runs a challenge. The approach that UA takes will be a determining factor of success in the series, especially in game one. In order to get off to a winning start on the road, Arizona’s potent offense will need to take what it can get and capitalize when the chances are there.
Question 2: Can Kurt Heyer pitch on the road with the same effectiveness he has shown at home?
The freshman Heyer will counter Johnson in game one for Arizona. Heyer’s record is 4-0 and will go for a fifth win Thursday in Arizona’s road-opener. He is averaging just over a strikeout per inning through 40.1 innings that he has pitched. Heyer ranks third in the Pac-10 with 48ks and will now pitch on the road in Arizona’s first road game of the year. He has answered questions about his ability to pitch at home, going 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA in the month of March in six home starts. April brings a new month and a new challenge for Heyer who will now have to prove that he can pitch as a visitor. Heyer’s biggest strength has been his ability to throw strikes and has only walked six batters in six starts. Heyer has had experience playing in venues more intimidating than Evans Field in Berkeley including Dodger Stadium and Yankee stadium. The experience of pitching in a major league stadium was one that Heyer said every pitcher dreams about. Even though he will be pitching on a new mound, Heyer should be able to handle it just fine. The question is how long will it take him to get used to the mound? If he can get through the first couple of innings smoothly, he should be able to avoid trouble the rest of the way. Heyer has been a horse on the mound and a solid performance on Thursday would give Arizona the confidence it needs to be successful in its first road series against Cal.
Question 3: Will the Wildcats be able to keep the Bears defense on their heels by continuing aggressive running on the base-paths?
Coach Lopez wants his players to stay aggressive like they have been early this season on their way to steal 61 bases out of 78 attempts. Lopez expects his team to take risks on the bases early in games.
“I have a rule with the guys that I want to make the defense frantic,” said Lopez.”I want it to be frantic. I want the defense on their heels thinking, ‘Holy smokes, what they going to do next,’.”
Arizona’s lineup has speed up and down the order, a luxury that allows Lopez to start the runners at will. Earlier this season, Lopez moved center-fielder Joey Rickard into the leadoff spot early in the season, jumpstarting the UA lineup. Arizona stands as the top-offensive team statistically in the Pac-10. Rickard’s spark has Arizona moving around the bases and up the polls. Rickard has been getting on base consistently and has stolen a team-high 12 bases while Bryce Ortega has swiped 10 bags. First-baseman Rafael Valenzuela stolen 8 stolen bases but has also been picked off twice. Lopez acknowledged that aggressiveness on the bases can result in mistakes. Arizona base-runners have been picked off nine times already and will not be successful if the mistakes continue. Base-running will head Arizona’s key to success. Arizona will need to run the bases well if they hope to win the series.
Prediction: Arizona pulls off a victory in their first road-series behind steady offensive production and solid starting pitching.
This post was edited on 4/1 9:16 PM by Scott Russell
This post was edited on 4/1 10:16 PM by Scott Russell
